Piyush Goyal Highlights Contribution Of Indian Railways In The Fight Against Covid

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has said that history will remember Indian Railways for its immense contribution to the fight against Covid.

“While maintaining national supply chains, it has ensured that wheels of progress keep moving at fast pace," he said reviewing the operational performance of zones and divisions with top railway officials.

Complimenting railway officials for showing extraordinary resilience and ensuring that Indian Railways achieved a double digit growth in freight traffic, Goyal acknowledged the efforts of the business development units for working on mission mode to boost freight traffic.

The railways has recorded more than 10 per cent increase in freight loading as compared to 2019-20. In 2021-22 financial year (FY), the total loading is 203.88 million tonnes (MT) which is 10 per cent more than FY 2019-20 loading figures (184.88 MT).

Despite Covid challenges, the loading in May is 92.29 MT which is 10 per cent more than May 2019 (83.84 MT) and 43 per cent more than May 2020 (64.61 MT).

In May 2021, the railways earned Rs 9,278.95 crore from freight loading.

So far, 272 oxygen expresses have completed their journey transporting the much-needed medical grade oxygen to various states.

Goyal said that oxygen expresses have served the nation in an extraordinary manner and proved a game changer in the fight against Covid.

The railways has delivered more than 17,945 MT of liquid medical oxygen in more than 1,080 tankers to various states across the country until now.

Offering condolences to those railway employees who lost their lives serving the nation, Goyal observed that the nation is full of gratitude for them and said that during the last 14 months, the railways has demonstrated a high moral strength and ability to rise to the occasion.

Directing the officials to make full utilisation of record capex allocation, he said completion of infrastructure works would generate employment.

He further directed that more efforts be made for developing infrastructure like good sheds, terminals, last-mile electrification towards sheds, mechanisation of loading unloading etc, to make things more efficient and easy for all operators.